Bike fit / correct riding position

After packing travelling etc I always find it difficult to get all the bike parts in exactly the position Scherrit recommended. I remember distinctly that we were very bemused by people that have a fit and then change settings again.

No way, Knoesen isn't a hobbit name.

With the ideal bike setup, where should track drops point? I've come to a few possibilities, is it the tip of the rear wheel? Or the rear hub? Or completely level?

So your wrist is at it's natural angle.

Thanks

My left leg is 1 cm longer than my right leg, I've never done anything about that but always had a slight pain in my back after long rides and just recently put 1 and 1 together and figured the length discrepancy might cause that.

Would cleat shimming be an option, and who has experience with it?

been cycling for 4 years and nomatter what set up I always slide forward on the saddle. A widder saddle has increased comfort generally but I still always find myself sliding forward.

Any ideas?

Try clenching the saddle with your ass cheeks.

I had a dream (last night) that I was riding a bike with such a bad fit that the handlebars would have been approx mid-toptube on a normal frame.

Any ideas?

i dont actually have butt cheeks, rather just the singular cheek

Do you find yourself hugging the bar instead of staying in the hoods?

Try lowering your saddle?

Don't expect it to feel immediately better. In fact it may result in less power until certain muscle groups adapt and start chipping in.

It's common to slide forward over the bb when pushing hard and using flat saddles.

#notanexpert

Expert says on the rivet.

Always had that problem too mate. A bike fit and an SMP solved it for me tho..

might try an smp saddle, heard good things

@miro_o ive tried lower saddle, higher, tilted up, down, fore aft position, in every combination possible* so I'm fairly sure its not saddle height or position.

@apc Sounds like your core strength and flexibility may be the issue. Can you ride along in the drops and the float your hands off the handlebars and maintain your body position? If not, your cycle fit needs to be adjusted for your current physiological limits. Possibly your saddle needs to go back a bit to take some weight off your hands.

Do you find yourself hugging the bar instead of staying in the hoods?

FWIW I bloody love my SMP. And I don't move about on that at all. It's early days with it but 4hr rides are a completely comfortable for me.

I'm finding comfort on an SMP quite dependent on bib pad though – soft/thin/cheap pads actually working better for me on this saddle than Assos/Rapha/Cytec.

Do you find yourself hugging the bar instead of staying in the hoods?

There are quite a few people in the 'hoods who hug the bar, so the two are not mutually exclusive.

If knuckles are pointing the same way of your travel

Or your hands are shy of operating the brakes; you are hugging the bar.

Pun detection fail. :)

Puncakes, where?!

an you ride along in the drops and the float your hands off the handlebars and maintain your body position? If not, your cycle fit needs to be adjusted for your current physiological limits.

A commonly circulated bicycle fit falsity. As one pedals harder one's body pushes back. If you can do that it probably means that your bicycle does not fit:-) Seriously... Taking your hands off the bars tends to also mean taking pressure off the pedals and, of course, the body will fall forward. The drops are there on a modern road bicycle not for "just riding along". Given that the currently "standard" riding position is defined by the hoods Zeitgeist is to use bars whose design to ease the transition and provide minimum body movement in the transition from hoods to drops. Drops are lower but provide less reach and more body leverage--- and maybe reduce the frontal area . Moving foward in the saddle during sprints and moving back during climbs is standard.. The main issue with saddle height is injury prevention and less about economy.. If you look at a lot of old pictures you'll see saddle heights and reach all over the place.

Sounds like your core strength and flexibility may be the issue.

Standard copy & paste solution to every problem on this thread. If repeated enough, it might eventually be correct.